Managed access to multiple wireless carriers

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for managing access of mobile stations to a plurality of wireless carriers. For example, in one embodiment, a central system can provide configuration files to mobile stations. The mobile stations can use the configuration files to access a plurality of different wireless carriers, with the different wireless carriers potentially implementing distinct technologies and communication standards and protocols.

BACKGROUND

Wireless (e.g., cellular) communication infrastructures are typicallymade up of a variety of technologies, wireless carriers, andcommunication standards and protocols. Although some existing solutionsallow for limited roaming, these solutions are constrained to commonwireless technologies. Thus, a need exists for providing transitions ofpacket switched networks across multiple carriers and technologies basedon various factors, such as network costs and availability.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In general, embodiments of the present invention provide systems,methods, apparatus, and computer program products for managing access ofmobile stations to a plurality of wireless carriers.

In accordance with one aspect, a method for managing access of a mobilestation to a plurality of wireless carriers is provided. In oneembodiment, the method comprises (1) receiving a geographicconfiguration for a mobile station, wherein (a) the geographicconfiguration is for a geographic area and (b) identifies a plurality ofwireless carriers providing wireless services within the geographicarea; (2) identifying a primary wireless carrier associated with thegeographic area from the plurality of wireless carriers; (3) initiatinga session with the primary wireless carrier; (4) after initiating thesession with the primary wireless carrier, terminating the session withthe primary wireless carrier; (5) after terminating the session with theprimary wireless carrier, identifying a secondary wireless carrierassociated with the geographic area from the plurality of wirelesscarriers; and (6) initiating a session with the secondary wirelesscarrier.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a computer program product formanaging access of a mobile station to a plurality of wireless carriersis provided. The computer program product may comprise at least onecomputer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program codeportions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portionscomprising executable portions configured to (1) receive a geographicconfiguration for a mobile station, wherein (a) the geographicconfiguration is for a geographic area and (b) identifies a plurality ofwireless carriers providing wireless services within the geographicarea; (2) identify a primary wireless carrier associated with thegeographic area from the plurality of wireless carriers; (3) initiate asession with the primary wireless carrier; (4) after initiating thesession with the primary wireless carrier, terminate the session withthe primary wireless carrier; (5) after terminating the session with theprimary wireless carrier, identify a secondary wireless carrierassociated with the geographic area from the plurality of wirelesscarriers; and (6) initiate a session with the secondary wirelesscarrier.

In accordance with yet another aspect, an apparatus comprising at leastone processor and at least one memory including computer program code isprovided. In one embodiment, the at least one memory and the computerprogram code may be configured to, with the processor, cause theapparatus to at least (1) receive a geographic configuration for amobile station, wherein (a) the geographic configuration is for ageographic area and (b) identifies a plurality of wireless carriersproviding wireless services within the geographic area; (2) identify aprimary wireless carrier associated with the geographic area from theplurality of wireless carriers; (3) initiate a session with the primarywireless carrier; (4) after initiating the session with the primarywireless carrier, terminate the session with the primary wirelesscarrier; (5) after terminating the session with the primary wirelesscarrier, identify a secondary wireless carrier associated with thegeographic area from the plurality of wireless carriers; and (6)initiate a session with the secondary wireless carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an overview of a system that can be used to practiceembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a central system accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary schematic diagram of a mobile station accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4-5 are flowcharts illustrating operations and processes that canbe used in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the present invention now will be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichsome, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, theseinventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. The term “or” is used herein in both the alternativeand conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms“illustrative” and “exemplary” are used to be examples with noindication of quality level. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

I. METHODS, APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS

As should be appreciated, various embodiments may be implemented invarious ways, including as methods, apparatus, systems, or computerprogram products. Accordingly, various embodiments may take the form ofan entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment in which a processor isprogrammed to perform certain steps. Furthermore, variousimplementations may take the form of a computer program product on acomputer-readable storage medium having computer-readable programinstructions embodied in the storage medium. Any suitablecomputer-readable storage medium may be utilized including hard disks,CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Various embodiments are described below with reference to block diagramsand flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus, systems, and computerprogram products. It should be understood that each block of the blockdiagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, may be implementedin part by computer program instructions, e.g., as logical steps oroperations executing on a processor in a computing system. Thesecomputer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, such as aspecial purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatusto produce a specifically-configured machine, such that the instructionswhich execute on the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus implement the functions specified in the flowchart block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readableinstructions for implementing the functionality specified in theflowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatusto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computeror other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implementedprocess such that the instructions that execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport various combinations for performing the specified functions,combinations of operations for performing the specified functions, andprogram instructions for performing the specified functions. It shouldalso be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions oroperations, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

II. EXEMPLARY SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

FIG. 1 provides an illustration of a communication system that can beused in conjunction with various embodiments of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system may include one or morecentral systems 100, one or more mobile stations 105, one or moregateway nodes 110, and one or more networks 115. Each of the componentsof the communication system may be in electronic communication with, forexample, one another over the same or different wireless or wirednetworks including, for example, a wired or wireless Personal AreaNetwork (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network(MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the like. Additionally, while FIG. 1illustrates certain communication system entities as separate,standalone entities, the various embodiments are not limited to thisparticular architecture.

1. Exemplary Central System

FIG. 2 provides a schematic of a central system 100 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. In general, the term “system” mayrefer to, for example, any computer, computing device, mobile phone,desktop, notebook or laptop, distributed system, server, blade, gateway,switch, processing device, or combination of processing devices adaptedto perform the functions described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, thecentral system 100 may include one or more message switches, one or moreapplication nodes, and one or more communication managers. As will beunderstood from FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the central system 100includes a processor 205 that communicates with other elements withinthe central system 100 via a system interface or bus 261. The processor205 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, theprocessor 205 may be embodied as a processing element, a coprocessor, acontroller or various other processing devices including integratedcircuits such as, for example, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a hardwareaccelerator, or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 205 may be configured toexecute instructions stored in the device memory or otherwise accessibleto the processor 205. As such, whether configured by hardware orsoftware methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 205 mayrepresent an entity capable of performing operations according toembodiments of the present invention when configured accordingly. Adisplay device/input device 264 for receiving and displaying data mayalso be included in the central system 100. This display device/inputdevice 264 may be, for example, a keyboard or pointing device that isused in combination with a monitor. The central system 100 may furtherinclude transitory and non-transitory memory 263, which may include bothrandom access memory (RAM) 267 and read only memory (ROM) 265. Thecentral system's ROM 265 may be used to store a basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) 226 containing the basic routines that help to transferinformation to the different elements within the central system 100.

In addition, in one embodiment, the central system 100 may include atleast one storage device 268, such as a hard disk drive, a CD drive,and/or an optical disk drive for storing information on variouscomputer-readable media. The storage device(s) 268 and its associatedcomputer-readable media may provide nonvolatile storage. Thecomputer-readable media described above could be replaced by any othertype of computer-readable media, such as embedded or removablemultimedia memory cards (MMCs), secure digital (SD) memory cards, MemorySticks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),flash memory, hard disk, or the like. Additionally, each of thesestorage devices 268 may be connected to the system bus 261 by anappropriate interface.

Furthermore, a number of program modules may be stored by the variousstorage devices 268 and/or within RAM 267. Such program modules mayinclude an operating system 280, a configuration module 270, and a tracemodule 260. As discussed in more detail below, these modules may controlcertain aspects of the operation of the central system 100 with theassistance of the processor 205 and operating system 280—although theirfunctionality need not be modularized. In addition to the programmodules, the central system 100 may store or be in communication withone or more databases, such as database 240.

Also located within the central system 100, in one embodiment, is anetwork interface 274 for interfacing with various computing entities(e.g., with one or more mobile stations 105 and one or more gatewaynodes 110). This communication may be via the same or different wired orwireless networks (or a combination of wired and wireless networks). Forinstance, the communication may be executed using a wired datatransmission protocol, such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI),digital subscriber line (DSL), Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode(ATM), frame relay, data over cable service interface specification(DOCSIS), or any other wired transmission protocol. Similarly, thecentral system 100 may be configured to communicate via wirelessexternal communication networks using any of a variety of protocols,such as 802.11, general packet radio service (GPRS), Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000(CDMA2000), CDMA2000 1X (1xRTT), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(WCDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access(TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal TerrestrialRadio Access Network (E-UTRAN), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), HighSpeed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA),IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), 802.16 (WiMAX), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared (IR)protocols, Bluetooth™ protocols, wireless universal serial bus (USB)protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol.

It will be appreciated that one or more of the central system's 100components may be located remotely from other central system 100components. Furthermore, one or more of the components may be combinedand additional components performing functions described herein may beincluded in the central system 100.

2. Exemplary Mobile Station

FIG. 3 provides an illustrative schematic representative of a mobilestation 105 that can be used in conjunction with the embodiments of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile station 105 caninclude an antenna 312, a transmitter 304 (e.g., radio), a receiver 306(e.g., radio), and a processing device 308 (e.g., a processor,controller, and/or the like) that provides signals to and receivessignals from the transmitter 304 and receiver 306, respectively.

The signals provided to and received from the transmitter 304 and thereceiver 306, respectively, may include signaling information inaccordance with an air interface standard of applicable wirelesssystems. In this regard, the mobile station 105 may be capable ofoperating with one or more air interface standards, communicationprotocols, modulation types, and access types. More particularly, themobile station 105 may operate in accordance with any of a number ofwireless communication standards and protocols, such as those describedabove with regard to the central system 100. In a particular embodiment,the mobile station 105 may operate in accordance with multiple wirelesscommunication standards and protocols (e.g., using a Gobi radio), suchas GSM, UMTS, 1xRTT, and EVDO, and use multiple wireless carriers (e.g.,China Mobile, Vodafone, Telefónica, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Qtel).To do so, the mobile station 105 may include integrated mobile receptiondiversity and integrated power management. Such a configuration canprovide for global connectivity to the user.

Via these communication standards and protocols, the mobile station 105can communicate with various other entities using concepts such asUnstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Short Message Service(SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Dual-Tone Multi-FrequencySignaling (DTMF), and/or Subscriber Identity Module Dialer (SIM dialer).The mobile station 105 can also download changes, add-ons, and updates,for instance, to its firmware, software (e.g., including modules), andoperating system.

According to one embodiment, the mobile station 105 may include alocation determining device and/or functionality. For example, themobile station 105 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS) moduleadapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, altitude, geocode,course, and/or speed data. In one embodiment, the GPS module acquiresdata, sometimes known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number ofsatellites in view and the relative positions of those satellites.

The mobile station 105 may also comprise a user interface (that caninclude a display 316 coupled to a processing device 308) and/or a userinput interface (coupled to the processing device 308). The user inputinterface can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the mobilestation 105 to receive data, such as a keypad 318, a touch display,voice or motion interfaces, or other input device. In embodimentsincluding a keypad 318, the keypad 318 can include the conventionalnumeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys used for operatingthe mobile station 105 and may include a full set of alphabetic keys orset of keys that may be activated to provide a full set of alphanumerickeys. In addition to providing input, the user input interface can beused, for example, to activate or deactivate certain functions, such asscreen savers and/or sleep modes.

The mobile station 105 can also include volatile memory 322 and/ornon-volatile memory 324, which can be embedded and/or may be removable.For example, the non-volatile memory may be embedded or removable MMCs,secure digital SD memory cards, Memory Sticks, EEPROM, flash memory,hard disk, or the like. The memory can store any of a number of piecesor amount of information and data used by the mobile station 105 toimplement the functions of the mobile station 105. The memory can alsostore content, such as computer program code for an application and/orother computer programs.

3. Exemplary Gateway Node

As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, gateway nodes 110 can be used inconjunction with embodiments of the present invention. In oneembodiment, gateway nodes 110 may be operated by wireless carriers(e.g., China Mobile, Vodafone, Telefónica, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, andQtel) to provide wireless access for mobile stations 105 to wirelesscarriers' communication infrastructures. To do so, gateway nodes 110 maybe connected to or comprise various entities. For example, a gatewaynode 110 may be connected to or comprise one or more radio accessnetworks, one or more one or more base station controllers, one or morebase transceiver stations, one or more mobile switching centers, one ormore radio network controllers, one or more evolved nodes B, one or moremobile management entities, one or more subscriber databases, one ormore packet gateways, one or more support nodes, and/or the like. Aswill be recognized, the gateway node 110 may support a variety ofnetwork types (e.g., wired, wireless, and/or the like) and variouscommunications standards and protocols (e.g., FDDI, DSL, Ethernet, ATM,DOCSIS, 802.11, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, 1xRTT, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE,E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, IR, Bluetooth™,Customized Application of Mobile Enhanced Logic (CAMEL), SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP), and/or the like).

4. Additional Exemplary Entities

Although not shown, embodiments of the present invention may function incoordination with a variety of other entities, such as originationswitches, destination switches, network and switching subsystems, publicswitched telephone networks, and/or the like. Each of these entities mayhave one or more of the above-described components, such as (1)processing elements, (2) memory, (3) network interfaces, (4)transceivers, and/or (5) various other components. As will berecognized, each of these entities may support a variety of networktypes and various communications standards and protocols.

III. EXEMPLARY SYSTEM OPERATION

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4-5. FIGS. 4-5 provide flowchartsillustrating operations that may be performed for managing access ofmobile stations 105 to wireless carriers (e.g., cellular carriers).

1. Use of Multiple Carriers and Multiple Technologies, Standards,Protocols

As indicated, mobile stations 105 may operate in accordance withmultiple wireless communication standards and protocols (e.g., GSM,WCDMA, UMTS, 1xRTT, and EVDO) and use multiple wireless carriers (e.g.,China Mobile, Vodafone, Telefónica, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Qtel).High-level examples of some of the wireless communication standards andprotocols are provided below.

In one embodiment, GPRS-related technologies may allow for connection toa home (or contract) wireless carrier. The home wireless carrier mayallow mobile stations 105 to roam using visiting wireless carriers.Roaming enables mobile stations 105 to operate in wider geographicareas. In one embodiment, roaming functionality can be handledautomatically by mobile stations 105 (e.g., automatically switchingbetween networks). In other embodiments, manual wireless carrierselection may be possible for instances in which automatic wirelesscarrier selection may not provide the best service for a given mobilestation 105.

Generally, mobile stations 105 using GPRS-related technologies useSubscriber Identity Modules (SIMs). SIMs may contain wireless carrierinformation that allows for connection to and use of GPRS-relatednetworks. Most mobile stations 105 typically only house a singlereplaceable (e.g., field swappable) SIM. However, some mobile stations105 can house multiple SIMs simultaneously; these SIMS can usually beswitched under software control.

In one embodiment, CDMA-related technologies use tuning, connection, andmaintenance information programmed into the mobile station 105 toconnect to and use CDMA-related networks. For instance, each wirelesscarrier may have operational constraints and require separateprogramming and use. In one embodiment, this programming may beperformed using general Over the Air (OTA) concepts. In anotherembodiment, where stability is important, the tuning, connection, andmaintenance information may be programmed locally on the mobile stations105. As will be recognized, a variety of technologies and communicationstandards and protocols can be used with embodiments of the presentinvention. Thus, the following examples are provided for illustrativepurposes only.

In one embodiment, because mobile stations 105 may operate using avariety of different technologies and communication standards andprotocols (e.g., GSM, WCDMA, UMTS, 1xRTT, and EVDO), the mobile stations105 may use the wireless services of multiple wireless carriers (e.g.,China Mobile, Vodafone, Telefónica, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Qtel).For example, in a single geographic area (e.g., country, region, state,county, city, or town), there may be multiple wireless carriersproviding wireless services. The wireless services coverage for one ormore geographic areas can be evaluated. For each wireless carrier (andpotentially each geographic area), the evaluation may contemplate theservice costs, service reliability, session stability, wireless servicesfootprint, longevity of a carrier's technology, carrier support, andcompliance with network expectations on service attempts. Afterevaluating the wireless services for one or more geographic areas,agreements for wireless services in the geographic areas with theappropriate wireless carriers (e.g., a plurality of wireless carriers)can be established. For example, an enterprise can enter into agreementswith various wireless carriers to provide wireless services to, forexample, their employees operating mobile stations 105. Once agreementswith wireless carriers have been established, mobile stations 105associated with the geographic areas can be activated and configured tooperate in accordance with the various carriers' technologies andcommunication standards and protocols.

2. Activation and Configuration of Mobile Stations

In one embodiment, a central system 100 can manage the access of mobilestations 105 to the plurality of wireless carriers in one or moregeographic areas. For example, once agreements with wireless carriershave been established, mobile stations 105 associated with the variousgeographic areas can be activated with the various wireless carriers(Block 400 of FIG. 4). Activating mobile stations 105 with wirelesscarriers may include registering each mobile station 105 with thewireless carriers from which services are desired (e.g., based on themobile station's 105 operating area). With numerous mobile stations 105to manage, the central system 100 may provide for an automatedactivation process. For instance, when mobile stations 105 are shippedfrom manufacturers, the central system 100 (e.g., enterprise) canreceive alerts with mobile-station specific information. Thus, based onwhere the mobile station will be used, the central system 100 can createdatabase records using localized plans. The central system 100 may thenrequest activation from the appropriate wireless carriers. Theactivation with a carrier may involve providing standardized requestfiles to the wireless carrier, with the wireless carrier returningstandardized response files acknowledging the activations.

In certain embodiments, it may not be practical for a mobile station 105in a given geographic area to be configured to operate with more than afew wireless carriers. For instance, in one embodiment, it may besufficient for the mobile station 105 to be activated on two wirelesscarriers: a primary wireless carrier and a secondary wireless carrier.In other embodiments, a third or fourth activation may be justifiedbased on the available wireless services and actual coverage patterns inthe geographic area in which a mobile station 105 will be used.

Additionally, the central system 100 can monitor requesting and trackingactivations when the mobile stations 105 are deployed, relocated, andremoved from service. For instance, when a mobile station 105 isrelocated, the central system 100 can deactivate the mobile station 105station from any wireless carriers from which wireless services will nolonger be used by the mobile station 105. In this example, the centralsystem 100 may also activate the mobile station 105 with any otherappropriate wireless carriers in the new operating area. Moreover, asanother example, the central system 100 can decommission mobile stations105 (e.g., for lack of actual use or by explicit request).

In addition to activating mobile stations 105, the central system 100may be used to configure the mobile stations 105 to use the wirelessservices of wireless carriers. To do so, the central system 100 maycreate and provide a geographic configuration (e.g., a geographicconfiguration file) for all mobile stations 105 operating within aspecific geographic area, such as a country, region, state, county,city, town, or other area. For example, the central system 100 mayprovide a geographic configuration to all mobile stations 105 operatingin the greater Atlanta, Ga. area to use the wireless services of AT&T,T-Mobile, and Verizon. The geographic configuration may also provide anorder in which the wireless carriers should be accessed. For example,AT&T may be designated as a primary carrier for mobile stations 105operating in the greater Atlanta, Ga. area. Similarly, T-Mobile andVerizon may be designated as secondary carriers for mobile stations 105operating in the greater Atlanta, Ga. area. In another embodiment, thegeographic configuration may define one or more geofences, for example,that are associated with particular primary and secondary wirelesscarriers.

In another embodiment, the geographic configuration may indicate thatall mobile stations 105 operating in the United States are to use thewireless services of Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. The geographicconfiguration may also designate (a) Verizon as a primary carrier formobile stations 105 operating in the United States and (b) AT&T andT-Mobile as secondary carriers for mobile stations 105 operating in theUnited States. As will be recognized, there may be various geographicconfigurations, such as a geographic configuration for each country,region, state, county, city, or town. Additionally, the geographicconfiguration may include additional information and parameters, such asdesignated Access Point Names (APNs), usernames and passwords, andcarrier supplied Preferred Roaming Lists (PRLs).

In one embodiment, the central system 100 may create and provide astation-type configuration for each type of mobile station 105 used byan enterprise. For example, an enterprise have different types of mobilestations 105, each using different hardware, firmware, and software.Thus, the different configurations may be rather extensive and becustomized down to, for example, the individual mobile station 105. Inone embodiment, station-type configurations may be used to providemobile stations 105 with, for instance, tuning parameters withbuild-time embedded default values, such as the number of occurrences ofa failed carrier dial-up would be permitted before changing the currentwireless carrier (e.g., changing from a primary wireless carrier to asecondary wireless carrier). The station-type configuration may includea variety of other information and parameters, such as device specific‘AT’ commands. In various embodiments, for practical maintenancereasons, it may be more efficient to keep the station-typeconfigurations (and the geographic configurations) as universalpossible.

In one embodiment, the central system 100 can provide the station-typeconfigurations and geographic configurations to the corresponding mobilestations 105 as, for example, XML files (Block 405 of FIG. 4). Forinstance, in one embodiment, the central system 100 may transmitgeographic configurations and/or station-type configurations to theappropriate mobile stations 105 periodically (e.g., daily, weekly,monthly, or as a result of modifications to the configurations). Invarious embodiments, this approach may allow for the configurations tobe managed centrally for the enterprise and updated regularly. Thisapproach may also provide for easy setup for a large number of mobilestations 105. In one embodiment, after the mobile stations 105 receivethe necessary configurations (e.g., XML files), the mobile stations 105can configure themselves accordingly, such as the next time the mobilestation 105 is used (Block 500 of FIG. 5).

3. Control of Mobile Stations

As indicated, the configurations may identify a primary wireless carrierand one or more secondary wireless carriers (e.g., a plurality ofwireless carriers) to use for wireless services. In one embodiment, theprimary wireless carrier may be the wireless carrier the mobile station105 should use under normal conditions. The one or more secondarywireless carriers may be the wireless carriers the mobile station 105can use in the event of communication issues, for example, with theprimary wireless carrier. For instance, the mobile station 105 mayswitch from the primary wireless carrier to a secondary wireless when,for instance, something fails and is not recoverable by establishing anew session with the primary wireless carrier. Identifying theappropriate secondary wireless carrier to be used may be based on avariety of factors, including location, coverage availability, signalstrength, and/or the like.

In one embodiment, by using multiple technologies and a common controlmechanism (e.g., software), the mobile station 105 can managecommunications with multiple wireless carriers and drive the networkconnections. This may include path switching (e.g., software pathswitching) accomplished at build-time where different hardware is to beused and/or at run-time where it makes sense to act in different waysover time based on the actual conditions identified. Generally, pathswitching may refer to branching of software, for example, to addressthe needs of a specific mobile station 105. Moreover, to adapt todifferent mobile stations 105, conditional compile-time switches can beused to enable blocks of code suitable for a specific mobile station105.

In one embodiment, before transmitting and/or receiving data, mobilestations 105 may go through several are several discrete phases: (1)powering on; (2) initializing and preparing the radio (e.g., low leveldialog); (3) associating the radio with a wireless carrier (e.g.,registration, attach); (4) preparing to dial; (5) performing dial andestablishing a network session; and (6) transacting data packets. Aswill be recognized, the ways for accomplishing these phases may varyfrom one mobile station 105 to another. Thus, the preceding andfollowing examples are not intended to limit embodiments of the presentinvention to any particular technology or communication standard orprotocol.

In one embodiment, as indicated in Blocks 505 and 510 of FIG. 5, themobile station 105 may begin by identifying a primary wireless carrierand initiating a session with the primary wireless carrier. The primarywireless carrier may be identified via information in the geographicconfiguration. For example, the geographic configuration may list AT&T,T-Mobile, and Verizon as the potential wireless carriers for the mobilestation 105, and further list AT&T as the primary wireless carrier andVerizon and T-Mobile as secondary wireless carriers. As indicated,initiating a session may include various steps such as (1) powering on;(2) initializing and preparing the radio (e.g., low level dialog); (3)associating the radio with a wireless carrier (e.g., registration,attach); and (4) preparing to dial. As will be recognized, though,initiating a session may include a variety of other steps as well and isnot limited to those described above. Under ideal operating conditions,the mobile station 105 may be able to complete these steps andultimately establish the session with the primary wireless carrier(Block 520 of FIG. 5). For instance, establishing the session mayinclude (5) performing dial and establishing a network session and (6)transacting data packets. As indicated, establishing a session mayinclude a variety of other steps as well and is not limited to thosedescribed above.

In one embodiment, after initiating the session with the primarywireless carrier or establishing a session with the primary wirelesscarrier, the mobile station 105 can terminate initiation of the sessionor terminate the established session (both of which are referred to asterminating the session)—(Block 515 of FIG. 5). In one embodiment, themobile station 105 can terminate sessions for a variety of reasons. Forexample, the mobile station 105 may terminate a session (e.g., terminateinitiation of a session or terminate an established session) because of,for example, a network drop, failure to find service, failure to attach,a communicated error code, low signal strength, a radio hardwarefailure, a failed dial, and/or failure to transact messages. In oneexample, the mobile station 105 may attempt to repeatedly register witha gateway node 110, but not receive any corresponding responses. In thiscase, the mobile station 105 may terminate the session (e.g., terminateinitiation of the session) with the wireless carrier. In anotherexample, after establishing a session, a mobile station 105 may transmitmessages a number of times and fail to receive back acknowledgementsfrom the appropriate gateway node 110 indicating that the messages havebeen received. As will be recognized, a session can be terminated for avariety of other reasons as well.

In one embodiment, if a mobile station 105 determines a wirelessservices issue to be something other than a temporary loss of coverage,the mobile station 105 may use one of the secondary wireless carriers.For example, after terminating a session with a primary wirelesscarrier, the mobile station 105 can identify a secondary wirelesscarrier (e.g., Verizon) associated with the geographic area from theplurality of wireless carriers (Block 525 of FIG. 5). As indicated, thesecondary wireless carriers (and any protocols for changing wirelesscarriers) may be included in the geographic and/or station-typeconfigurations. Continuing with the above example, the geographicconfiguration may list Verizon and T-Mobile as secondary wirelesscarriers. In such a case, identifying the appropriate secondary wirelesscarrier to be used may be based on a variety of factors, includinglocation, coverage availability, signal strength, and/or the like. Inanother embodiment, there may be only a single secondary wirelesscarrier that the mobile station 105 can use.

Depending on the secondary wireless carrier's technology andcommunications standards and protocols, the mobile station 105 mayexecute various steps to communicate with the secondary wirelesscarrier. For example, the mobile station 105 may modify internal recordswithin the radio and/or reload the radio's firmware. This mayparticularly be the case when the primary and secondary wirelesscarriers are based on distinct technologies, such as the primarywireless carrier using UMTS-related technologies, and the secondarycarrier using CDMA-related technologies.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the mobile station 105 may “back off”the primary or secondary wireless carrier from a predetermined period oftime (e.g., 5, 15, 30, 45, or 50 minutes). Backing off the wirelesscarrier may include indicating the wireless carrier as unavailable forthe predetermined period of time. Thus, for example, when the mobilestation 105 sequences through the various states, it can identify whichwireless carriers are available and when the primary (or last-used)wireless carrier (now marked as unavailable) will be available again. Invarious embodiments, this may prevent the mobile station 105 fromrepeatedly attempting to initiate sessions with the same wirelesscarrier when communication issues with the carrier are present.

It should also be noted that the mobile station 105 may queue anypending messages at least until the session with the secondary wirelesscarrier is established. In various embodiments, this allows for suchmessages to be communicated via the secondary wireless carrier's networkonce a session is established.

In one embodiment, once the mobile station 105 performs any necessarysetup, the mobile station 105 can initiate a session with theappropriate secondary wireless carrier (Block 530 of FIG. 5). Asindicated, initiating a session may include various steps such as (1)powering on; (2) initializing and preparing the radio (e.g., low leveldialog); (3) associating the radio with a wireless carrier (e.g.,registration, attach); and (4) preparing to dial. Initiating a session,though, may include a variety of other steps as well. After initiatingthe session with the appropriate secondary wireless carrier, the mobilestation 105 may ultimately establish the session with the secondarywireless carrier (Block 535 of FIG. 5). Establishing the session mayinclude (5) performing dial and establishing a network session and (6)transacting data packets.

As will be recognized, in the event of further wireless services issues,the mobile station 105 may perform similar steps to communicate withanother secondary wireless carrier (e.g., T-Mobile). In variousembodiments, this may depend on the number of wireless carriers themobile station 105 can use and the geographic and station-typeconfigurations identifying how the mobile station 105 is to react towireless services issues. Similarly, if the predetermined back off timehas elapsed, the mobile station 105 may perform similar steps to againcommunicate (or attempt to communicate) with the primary wirelesscarrier (e.g., AT&T).

4. Management and Maintenance

In one embodiment, the central system 100 may receive call data (e.g.,call trace data and/or call tracking data) from the various mobilestations 105 (Block 410 of FIG. 4). For example, mobile stations 105 mayroutinely, periodically, and/or continuously transmit call data to thecentral system 100. The call data may include information about radiocontrol states, error codes, environmental factors (e.g., location),operator identification information, signal strength, size andidentifiers of messages sent and received, and/or the like. The centralsystem 100 can then may routinely, periodically, and/or continuouslyprocess the call data into database records, for example, that reflectthe profile of behavior throughout a day, week, month, and/or other timeperiod.

In one embodiment, the central system 100 may analyze the call data forpatterns (Block 415 of FIG. 4). For instance, the central system 100 mayanalyze the call data for one or more mobile stations 105 to identifyand/or monitor various fault patterns, such as inadequate coveragepatterns, signal strength patterns, failure to register patterns,failure to attach patterns, failure to obtain network patterns, failureto deliver packets patterns, and/or the like. In one embodiment, byidentifying fault patterns, the central system 100 can identify issuesthat my need to be addressed with the wireless carriers. Further, byperforming the analysis globally, fault patterns can be detected thatmay identify problems spanning a small geographic area, a whole country,or a wireless carrier's entire network.

Additionally, in one embodiment, the central system 100 can identifyproblematic mobile stations 105 or types of mobile stations 105. Forexample, the central several 100 can provide reports on the analysis,such as regional summaries at multiple levels ranging from the entireenterprise down to a single device. The central system 100 can alsoprovide alerts on problem conditions that may need support interventionand provide detailed information and analysis for individual mobilestations 105 under investigation. In many instances, such problems canoften be addressed by modifications to the geographic and/orstation-type configurations. Thus, the central system 100 may updateconfigurations (e.g., geographic and/or station-type) based on theanalysis (Block 420 of FIG. 4). For example, the central system 100 maybe configured to modify the geographic configuration based at least inpart on the fault patterns identified in the call data. This may includeremoving a particular wireless carrier with certain fault patterns fromthe configuration or changing primary carriers for certain geographicareas. When such modifications are made, the central system 100 can pushout the new configurations, for example, to the appropriate mobilestations 105.

In various embodiments, this centralized approach may allow forstandardized reporting to provide support personnel with details ofnetwork activity. For instance, reporting summaries can provide networkand fault pattern views at various levels, such as the operationalcenter level, region level, and/or the like. The reports and other datacan be exported to various management systems for further analysis andreconciliation with traffic coming from back-end systems. The varioussystems can use the feedback from the mobile stations 105 to handleunexpected deployments or moves and ensure that the plannedconfigurations and planned use are properly reported back as the actualuse. This approach may enable both server-side tracking for outboundmessages and station-side tracking for inbound messages. In variousembodiments, this may also allow the central system 100 to proactivelyidentify anomalies (e.g., increases in packet failures). As will berecognized, this approach can be used to provide for closed loopmanagement of an enterprise's mobile stations 105. A variety of otherapproaches and techniques may also be used within the scope and spiritof embodiments of the present invention.

IV. CONCLUSION

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for managing access of a mobilestation to a plurality of wireless carriers, the method comprising:receiving, from a network device, a geographic configuration for themobile station, wherein the geographic configuration (a) is for ageographic area and (b) identifies a plurality of wireless carriersproviding wireless services within the geographic area; receiving, fromthe network device, a station-type configuration (a) specifying criteriain which the mobile station is to switch from using at least one primarywireless carrier identified in the geographic configuration to at leastone secondary wireless carrier identified in the geographicconfiguration, and (b) specifying information identifying the manner inwhich the mobile station is designated to react to one or more wirelessservice issues; identifying a primary wireless carrier, indicated in thereceived geographic configuration, associated with the geographic areafrom the plurality of wireless carriers; initiating a session with theprimary wireless carrier; after initiating the session with the primarywireless carrier, terminating the session with the primary wirelesscarrier based in part on the specified information of the station-typeconfiguration; after terminating the session with the primary wirelesscarrier, identifying a secondary wireless carrier, indicated in thereceived geographic configuration, associated with the geographic areafrom the plurality of wireless carriers; and initiating a session withthe secondary wireless carrier.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thesession with the primary wireless carrier is abandoned for failure toestablish the session.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprisingindicating the primary wireless carrier as unavailable for apredetermined period of time.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thesession with the primary wireless carrier is established and abandonedas a result of a network dropping the session.
 5. The method of claim 4further comprising establishing the session with the secondary wirelesscarrier.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising queuing a pendingmessage at least until the session with the secondary wireless carrieris established.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein terminating thesession with the primary wireless carrier is based at least in part oneselected from the group consisting of (a) a network drop, (b) acommunicated error code, and (c) a failure to transact messages.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the received station-type configuration isspecific for the type of mobile station.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein initiating the session with the primary wireless carrier isbased at least in part on the geographic configuration and thestation-type configuration.
 10. An apparatus comprising at least oneprocessor and at least one memory including computer program code, theat least one memory and the computer program code configured to, withthe processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive, from a networkdevice, a geographic configuration for a mobile station, wherein thegeographic configuration (a) is for a geographic area and (b) identifiesa plurality of wireless carriers providing wireless services within thegeographic area; receive, from the network device, a station-typeconfiguration (a) specifying criteria in which the mobile station is toswitch from using at least one primary wireless carrier identified inthe geographic configuration to at least one secondary wireless carrieridentified in the geographic configuration, and (b) specifyinginformation identifying the manner in which the mobile station isdesignated to react to one or more wireless service issues; identify aprimary wireless carrier, indicated in the received geographicconfiguration, associated with the geographic area from the plurality ofwireless carriers; initiate a session with the primary wireless carrier;after initiating the session with the primary wireless carrier,terminate the session with the primary wireless carrier based in part onthe specified information of the station-type configuration; afterterminating the session with the primary wireless carrier, identify asecondary wireless carrier, indicated in the received geographicconfiguration, associated with the geographic area from the plurality ofwireless carriers; and initiate a session with the secondary wirelesscarrier.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the session with theprimary wireless carrier is abandoned for failure to establish thesession.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory and computerprogram code are further configured to, with the processor, cause theapparatus to indicate the primary wireless carrier as unavailable for apredetermined period of time.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein thesession with the primary wireless carrier is established and abandonedas a result of a network dropping the session.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 13, wherein the memory and computer program code are furtherconfigured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to establish thesession with the secondary wireless carrier.
 15. The apparatus of claim14, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configuredto, with the processor, cause the apparatus to queue a pending messageat least until the session with the secondary wireless carrier isestablished.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein terminating thesession with the primary wireless carrier is based at least in part oneselected from the group consisting of (a) a network drop, (b) acommunicated error code, and (c) a failure to transact messages.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the received station-type configurationis specific for the type of mobile station.
 18. The apparatus of claim17, wherein initiating the session with the primary wireless carrier isbased at least in part on the geographic configuration and thestation-type configuration.
 19. A computer program product for managingaccess of a mobile station to a plurality of wireless carriers, thecomputer program product comprising at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program codeportions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portionscomprising: an executable portion configured to receive, from a networkdevice, a geographic configuration for the mobile station, wherein thegeographic configuration (a) is for a geographic area and (b) identifiesa plurality of wireless carriers providing wireless services within thegeographic area; an executable portion configured to receive, from thenetwork device, a station-type configuration (a) specifying criteria inwhich the mobile station is to switch from using at least one primarywireless carrier identified in the geographic configuration to at leastone secondary wireless carrier identified in the geographicconfiguration, and (b) specifying information identifying the manner inwhich the mobile station is designated to react to one or more wirelessservice issues; an executable portion configured to identify a primarywireless carrier, indicated in the received geographic configuration,associated with the geographic area from the plurality of wirelesscarriers; an executable portion configured to initiate a session withthe primary wireless carrier; an executable portion configured to, afterinitiating the session with the primary wireless carrier, terminate thesession with the primary wireless carrier based in part on the specifiedinformation of the station-type configuration; an executable portionconfigured to, after terminating the session with the primary wirelesscarrier, identify a secondary wireless carrier, indicated in thereceived geographic configuration, associated with the geographic areafrom the plurality of wireless carriers; and an executable portionconfigured to initiate a session with the secondary wireless carrier.20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the session withthe primary wireless carrier is abandoned for failure to establish thesession.
 21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprisingan executable portion configured to indicate the primary wirelesscarrier as unavailable for a predetermined period of time.
 22. Thecomputer program product of claim 19, wherein the session with theprimary wireless carrier is established and abandoned as a result of anetwork dropping the session.
 23. The computer program product of claim22 further comprising an executable portion configured to establish thesession with the secondary wireless carrier.
 24. The computer programproduct of claim 23 further comprising an executable portion configuredto queue a pending message at least until the session with the secondarywireless carrier is established.
 25. The computer program product ofclaim 19, wherein terminating the session with the primary wirelesscarrier is based at least in part one selected from the group consistingof (a) a network drop, (b) a communicated error code, and (c) a failureto transact messages.
 26. The computer program product of claim 19,wherein the received station-type configuration is specific for the typeof mobile station.
 27. The computer program product of claim 26, whereininitiating the session with the primary wireless carrier is based atleast in part on the geographic configuration and the station-typeconfiguration.
 28. A system comprising a mobile station and a centralsystem, the mobile station being configured to: receive, from thecentral system, a geographic configuration for the mobile station,wherein the geographic configuration (a) is for a geographic area and(b) identifies a plurality of wireless carriers providing wirelessservices within the geographic area; receive, from the central system, astation-type configuration (a) specifying criteria in which the mobilestation is to switch from using at least one primary wireless carrieridentified in the geographic configuration to at least one secondarywireless carrier identified in the geographic configuration, and (b)specifying information identifying the manner in which the mobilestation is designated to react to one or more wireless service issues;identify a primary wireless carrier, indicated in the geographicconfiguration, associated with the geographic area from the plurality ofwireless carriers; initiate a session with the primary wireless carrier;after initiating a session with the primary wireless carrier, terminatethe session with the primary wireless carrier based in part on thespecified information of the station-type configuration; afterterminating the session with the primary wireless carrier, identify asecondary wireless carrier, indicated in the geographic configuration,associated with the geographic area from the plurality of wirelesscarriers; and initiate a session with the secondary wireless carrier.29. The system of claim 28, wherein the session with the primarywireless carrier is abandoned for failure to establish the session. 30.The system of claim 29, indicating the primary wireless carrier asunavailable for a predetermined period of time.
 31. The system of claim28, wherein the session with the primary wireless carrier is establishedand abandoned as a result of a network dropping the session.
 32. Thesystem of claim 31, wherein the mobile station is further configured toestablish the session with the secondary wireless carrier.
 33. Thesystem of claim 32, wherein the mobile station is further configured toqueue a pending message at least until the session with the secondarywireless carrier is established.
 34. The system of claim 28, whereinterminating the session with the primary wireless carrier is based atleast in part one selected from the group consisting of (a) a networkdrop, (b) a communicated error code, and (c) a failure to transactmessages.
 35. The system of claim 28, wherein the central system isconfigured to transmit (a) the geographic configuration for the mobilestation and (b) the station-type configuration for the specific type ofmobile station.
 36. The system of claim 28, wherein initiating thesession with the primary wireless carrier is based at least in part onthe geographic configuration and the station-type configuration.
 37. Thesystem of claim 28, wherein the central system is configured to: receivecall data from the mobile station; analyze the call data to identifyfault patterns; and modify the geographic configuration based at leastin part on the fault patterns identified in the call data.
 38. Thesystem of claim 28, wherein the central system is configured to activatethe mobile station for operation with each of the plurality of wirelesscarriers.